Background HIstory
Choentae was developed by Uicheon who used to be a prince. Choentae is the Korean form of the Chinese school Tianti. Uicheon allowed Cheontae to be the biggest power in the Goryeo Buddhism. To ease up the Gyo school and Seon schools, Uichoen believed in the power of Choentae to bring this fight to an end. Choentae contains the teachings of Buddha which is known as the Lotus Sutra which has the idea of reality. As Choentae contain the expression of Dharma, which serves as the fundamental factor of enlightenment. These characteristics contribute to the explanation of difference between the temples of Choentae and the tempeles of Zen. Choentae school has 2 million adherents and the headquarters are currently located at Guinsa, near Danyang.
Important Buildings & teachings
Tianti(天台宗)-
Tianti is an important school of Buddhism in Korea, Japan, and China. In Korea, Tianti was developed by Daegak Guksa Uicheon who is the son of the Emperor Munjong of Goryeo Dynasty. Uicheon went to China during the Song dynasty(1086), and developed the idea of Cheontae dynasty. Tianti can also be referred to as the Lotus School.
Lotus Sutra-
Lotus Sutra serves as the main importance in Buddha's teachings. As Buddha reached towards the end of his life, Buddha delivered the fundamental teachings of Choentae Buddhism which are contained in Lotus Sutra.
Lotus Sutra's teachings include the idea that "All things are empty without reality, have provisional reality, and are both absolutely unreal and provisionally real at once"(Friso).
Guinsa- The headquarters of Chontae Buddhism. It is in the Sobaek mountains in Chungcheongbuk-do. Built in 1945, it is a fairly new temple. The architecture of Chontae Buddhist temples can be more ornate than other Buddhist sects. They use more gold and decorations and build many storied buildings.
Symbols
Choentae Order- Contains three circles and a Vajra staff standing.
Three circles represent the that all universal laws contain threefold truths which are emptiness, fallacy, and the center. Vajra staff is the weapon that the protector of Buddha carried in order to serve Buddha. Blue circles shows the infinite development for Korea. Wisdom of Buddha is represented by the color of gold which is the color of the Vajra staff. This symbol calls out for the ideology that while one enlightens oneself, one also helps people who suffers at the same time.
Buddha of Choentae
Shakyamuni Buddha- This Buddha is locted inside the Guinsa building. Shakyamuni was born in India in a wealthy family. Shakyamuni is commonly referred to as Siddhartha. To understand and overcome suffering, Shakyamuni abandoned his rich life and decided to take the path of understanding the nature birth, age, sickness, etc. Shakyamuni is now considered to be one of the most important treasures of Korea.
Choentae Buddhism
Video:
Background HIstory
Choentae was developed by Uicheon who used to be a prince. Choentae is the Korean form of the Chinese school Tianti. Uicheon allowed Cheontae to be the biggest power in the Goryeo Buddhism. To ease up the Gyo school and Seon schools, Uichoen believed in the power of Choentae to bring this fight to an end. Choentae contains the teachings of Buddha which is known as the Lotus Sutra which has the idea of reality. As Choentae contain the expression of Dharma, which serves as the fundamental factor of enlightenment. These characteristics contribute to the explanation of difference between the temples of Choentae and the tempeles of Zen. Choentae school has 2 million adherents and the headquarters are currently located at Guinsa, near Danyang.
Important Buildings & teachings
Tianti(天台宗)-
Tianti is an important school of Buddhism in Korea, Japan, and China. In Korea, Tianti was developed by Daegak Guksa Uicheon who is the son of the Emperor Munjong of Goryeo Dynasty. Uicheon went to China during the Song dynasty(1086), and developed the idea of Cheontae dynasty. Tianti can also be referred to as the Lotus School.
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Tiantai?qsrc=3044
Lotus Sutra-
Lotus Sutra serves as the main importance in Buddha's teachings. As Buddha reached towards the end of his life, Buddha delivered the fundamental teachings of Choentae Buddhism which are contained in Lotus Sutra.
http://jingdexuan.blogspot.com/2010/12/lotus-sutra.html
Lotus Sutra's teachings include the idea that "All things are empty without reality, have provisional reality, and are both absolutely unreal and provisionally real at once"(Friso).
Guinsa- The headquarters of Chontae Buddhism. It is in the Sobaek mountains in Chungcheongbuk-do. Built in 1945, it is a fairly new temple. The architecture of Chontae Buddhist temples can be more ornate than other Buddhist sects. They use more gold and decorations and build many storied buildings.
Symbols
Choentae Order- Contains three circles and a Vajra staff standing.
Three circles represent the that all universal laws contain threefold truths which are emptiness, fallacy, and the center. Vajra staff is the weapon that the protector of Buddha carried in order to serve Buddha. Blue circles shows the infinite development for Korea. Wisdom of Buddha is represented by the color of gold which is the color of the Vajra staff. This symbol calls out for the ideology that while one enlightens oneself, one also helps people who suffers at the same time.
Buddha of Choentae
Shakyamuni Buddha- This Buddha is locted inside the Guinsa building. Shakyamuni was born in India in a wealthy family. Shakyamuni is commonly referred to as Siddhartha. To understand and overcome suffering, Shakyamuni abandoned his rich life and decided to take the path of understanding the nature birth, age, sickness, etc. Shakyamuni is now considered to be one of the most important treasures of Korea.
Works Cited & Pictures Cited-
Frisco, . "Choentae." Religion Wiki. Wikia, n.d. Web. 15 Feb 2011. <http://religion.wikia.com/wiki/cheontae>.
"무위야! 너로구나?."Naver Blog. Naver Blog, 11 Aug 2010. Web. 15 Feb 2011. <http://blog.naver.com/baramil22?Redirect=Log&logNo=30091718368
Guinsa. Wikipedia. 26 Nov 2010. Web. 16 Feb 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinsa>.
“Tianti.” Ask.com. Ask.com, 10 Feb 2011. Web. 15 Feb 2011. <__http://www.ask.com/wiki/Tiantai?qsrc=3044__>.
"经德轩Jing De Xuan.” Blogger. Blogger, n.d. Web. 15 Feb 2011. <__http://jingdexuan.blogspt.com/2010/12/lotus-sutra.html__>.
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N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb 2011. <__http://chadao.wordpress.com/__>.